Churchwood Gardens
A south London site hidden behind Victorian terraces, with a history of failed planning applications by others. Bryden Wood designed nine cedar-clad pavilions around a central garden – and every one of the 71 homes was let within two weeks of completion.
Bryden Wood designed Churchwood Gardens for Loromah Estates – a rental housing development on a sloped backlands plot in Forest Hill, South London, that had defeated every previous planning applicant. The design response was nine cedar-clad pavilions arranged around a central landscaped garden, stepping down the gradient to vary entry levels across the scheme. Every unit was let within two weeks of completion in 2019, and the development won the UK Housing Design Award for Rental Development in 2020.
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Churchwood Gardens achieved maximum allowable density on a site that had defeated every previous planning applicant – and on completion in 2019, all 71 units were let within two weeks. Occupancy has remained at 100% since, with a waiting list for future vacancies. Many residents have asked to buy their properties. The scheme won the UK Housing Design Award for Rental Development in 2020.
It was fully electrically powered – including all heating and hot water – with photovoltaic panels on all roofs, naturally ventilated undercroft parking, and extensive sustainable urban drainage throughout. The development demonstrates that maximum density, full planning approval, and 100% occupancy are achievable together on a constrained urban site – when the design works with the site rather than against it.
Churchwood Gardens is a £14 million rental-only housing scheme in Forest Hill, South London, designed by Bryden Wood for Loromah Estates. The development comprises 71 units across nine cedar-clad buildings arranged around a landscaped communal garden, on a backlands site that had seen multiple previous planning applications fail.
The site presented a set of interlocking challenges: a sloped gradient, close proximity to Victorian terraces, and strong local concerns about the character and privacy of the surrounding neighbourhood. Bryden Wood’s design responded by creating a stepped layout that integrates with the surrounding context while maximising green space. The buildings were designed to the proportions of neighbouring properties, preserving sightlines and ensuring the development remains largely hidden from the street – a significant factor in securing planning approval after the site’s previous history.
All apartments were designed to the National Housing Federation’s good practice guide and London Plan requirements. Generous layouts, full-height windows, and private balconies or decking provide natural light and strong connections to the landscaped gardens without compromising the privacy of residents or neighbours. The cedar-clad buildings are arranged to create a genuine sense of place – a quiet, green, traffic-free environment within one of south London’s most established residential neighbourhoods.
Churchwood Gardens was completed in 2019, and all 71 units were let within two weeks – a direct reflection of the quality and appeal of the scheme. The development won the UK Housing Design Award for Rental Development in 2020, and demonstrates Bryden Wood’s ability to deliver award-winning residential design on difficult sites, within sensitive planning contexts.
Churchwood Gardens opened in 2019 with 100% occupancy and a waiting list. That is the most honest measure of whether a place has been designed well. Not the awards, not the density achieved. Whether people want to live there.
